I answered succinctly with a one-fingered salute and headed inside to grab a shower.
* * *
I had plenty to keep me busy that morning. Lake updated me on Sergeant Tulley’s visit with the Petersburg police and what he’d been able to discover there, which had been basically jack squat. I met with a few other platoon leaders, because even though Reardon’s fuck-up took priority right now, the rest of the company had its normal daily function to maintain, including soldiers transferring out to new duty stations and other soldiers transferring in to take their places. I had schedules to approve and some kinks to work out of an upcoming weekend excursion to the field, where we’d be focusing on specific elements of training. We were only going to Fort Pickett, but any sort of trip or movement required detailed planning, whether it was an hour up the road or thousands of miles overseas.
Still, Samantha Crewe was never far from my mind. When Lake told me that the local folks were still up in arms about Reardon being in our custody instead of under the local jurisdiction, I flashed to her face, flushed and impassioned as she spoke about justice being served. When the lieutenant informed me that the guy whom Reardon had hit was apparently now awake, although still in critical condition at the hospital, I remembered the heat in Samantha’s eyes when she’d told me, “Someone’s got to do it, or people like you and your brothers-in-arms will roll right over us.”
When it came right down to it, this woman I’d met once and for less than an hour was camped out in my head all morning, and it was annoying as hell. It got even worse when I found myself wandering down to the motor pool under the pretense of checking our readiness for the trip to Pickett ... which was over a month away. I lingered until Specialist Evans happened by.
“Morning, sir.” He saluted with an easy smile. “How’s it going today?”
“Ah ... it’s going, Evans. One of those days.” I struggled with the real reason I was down here and finally gave in. “By the way, thanks for taking a look at that girl’s car. I mean, you and your brother-in-law.”
There were rules about soldiers doing any kind of work on the side, no matter how informal or casual it might be, since it could create conflicts of interest within the ranks. So, while I was fully aware that Evans did much of the mechanical repairs when we brought our vehicles to his house, we maintained a plausible deniability by giving credit to his brother-in-law.
“Hey, it wasn’t a problem at all. She’s cool. And she was right on target—her starter’s bad, so we’re going to replace that tonight. It shouldn’t take very long, so I told her to come by and pick it up after dinner.”
My ears perked up. Another part of me might’ve stirred, too. “Oh, yeah? Well ... that’s good. Thanks for taking care of it.”
“Sure. No sweat. You know I like to help any time I can.”
It was true. Evans was definitely one of the easiest-going guys in the company; half the men called him Uncle Mickey, even though he was their age or younger. I clapped him on the back and was about to turn to leave when he proved to me once again how accommodating he could be.
“Hey, Captain, speaking of cars, did you ever figure out that leak in your radiator hose? You know you can bring it over any time and I’ll be glad to take a look.”
It was a gift that Specialist Evans had just tossed into my lap: the perfect excuse for me to swing by his house ... say, tonight, so that he could check that hose for me. I knew I should tell him I’d bring it in next week. But before my brain could fully engage and do the right thing, I heard myself speaking.
“Maybe I’ll swing by tonight and have you take a look, if you think you have time. I don’t think it’s an emergency, but I’d feel better if you and your brother-in-law had a look.”Oh, yeah, I’d feel better ... but it would have nothing to do with my car.
“Yeah, that works. And if you come a little early, Cecile will make you those nachos you liked so much when she brought them to the company picnic.”
I grinned. “You just made my day so much better, Evans. I’ll be over with a six-pack.”
“Now you got yourself a deal, Captain!”
I returned to my office whistling. I was probably making a huge mistake ... that, or I’d get there tonight and realize that the connection I’d felt with Samantha Crewe had just been a temporary deal. Or maybe she wouldn’t be interested in me.
At least I’d get nachos out of the whole thing.
* * *
Specialist Evans and his wife Cecile lived in an older house in one of the more established neighborhoods in Petersburg. He’d met Cecile when he was at Fort Lee on temporary duty assignment for a class, and although she’d happily traveled with him to other posts, I knew they liked being stationed here, where she was close to her family and friends. Like her husband, she was well-loved by the other soldiers; the couple often hosted picnics and big dinners, where her excellent cooking helped many a homesick private stick it out a little longer.
I pulled up in front of their house just after six. Mickey Evans and his brother-in-law Pete were both under the hood of Samantha’s car, and they glanced up at me almost in unison.
“Yo, Cap!” Pete loved to tease me about my rank. “You here for the repair service or the food?”
“Neither. Just came to see your smiling face, Pete.” I slammed shut my car door and hoisted the beer in one hand. “And I had this lonely old six-pack sitting in my fridge. Thought someone here might help me put it out of its misery.”
“I think you’ve come to the right place.” Cecile stepped out the side door, a huge plate of cheese and chili-covered chips in one hand. “I mean, what goes better with beer than my world-famous nachos?”
“Cecile, you know, if you ever get tired of this guy, I’m just waiting in the wings.” I lay one hand over my heart.
“Baby, don’t listen to him.” Evans straightened up, wiping his hands on a rag. “He only wants you for your cooking. These single officers, they see how good we have it, and they wish they’d been smart enough to find someone as pretty as you.” He reached for his wife, pulling her close for a quick kiss before he stole a chip from the plate.
“I saw that.” She swatted his fingers. “You all sit down out here on the deck and enjoy your man time. I’m picking up my mom for bingo.”
“Win big, baby!” Evans waved.
